What better time to talk about branding than after our own rebrand, right?
The first colour you think of when you mention a business, the strapline that comes to mind, or the tone of voice that forces a laugh out while you’re scrolling on social media.
Your specific branding approach should be tailored to your company's values, showing a real understanding of your target audience and what they prefer, whether visually, audibly or in between. These elements can truly form a particular perception of a brand, so it’s important that your branding is actually a true reflection of your business. We’ve worked on our rebrand for a while, so here are our top insights into how we shaped our new look and our approach.
What is branding and identity?
The concept of branding an identity varies depending on the industry a company is in. For some, branding is extremely crucial and is the backbone of one’s success. For others, branding is an added element of recognition.
Depending on how deep you’re ready to dive, branding can include a company's general design and visual aspects (colours, shapes, fonts), tone of voice, values, brand statements, and much more.
Remember, branding isn’t just centred around customer perception; B2B brand advertisement in the US is expected to reach $37.7 billion this year, showing that regardless of your market, branding is a need.
To break it down as much as possible…
Branding is the process of creating a strong perception of a company, its products and services in the mind of its target audience. This includes the design and use of logos, messaging, overall style and values/mission.
Branding design is everything.
Branding is one aspect of marketing that many can overlook. In an age where most logos are stripped back, and the majority are going for the ‘aesthetically pleasing’ neutrals, pops of colour can directly make you think of a brand, almost as if they’re claiming it.
The McDonald’s yellow, Duolingo green or Barbie pink, for example. Increasing brand recognition by up to 80%, colours are great to experiment with. If you’re wary of colour usage being ‘too much’, you can stick to accent colours, using them pointedly in specific places. Some brands prefer setting specific colour usage percentages to create a cohesive look for all assets, which also makes it helpful when working with external marketing agencies and graphic designers. Brand guidelines keep everyone in check!
Unsurprisingly, consumers are 81% more likely to remember a brand’s colour than its name. We’ve all played logo guessing games, haven’t we? This goes to show how important colours are when it comes to brand recognition, directly impacting the overall marketing of a company.
As a creative agency, branding design was one of our top priorities. Focusing on the visual aspect of your branding is especially important when you’re a part of a saturated market. We took our old look and added a couple of touches that made Brawl stand out even more. Adding a pinch of blue, alongside our electric pink, made text and shapes stand out across pitch decks, social media posts and our website.
We also introduced new shapes to represent our five values, taken from everyday life. These shapes visually represent the values, making them more digestible for our audience and easier to intertwine throughout assets
The rebrand of Brawl was widely a team project. Involving all of our team members in brainstorming sessions meant that we had the best scope of ideas once we got to designing the final shapes. If you’re stuck on where to begin with your branding, or you’d just like a fresh look, why not start close to home? Involve your team and get the ideas flowing.
Why is branding truly important?
Branding isn’t just a logo - it’s your business’s personality. It’s how you show up and make people feel. In a crowded market, it’s what gets you noticed and keeps you unforgettable. With strong branding, you’re not just another option - you’re the option. It builds trust, fuels loyalty, and makes consumers think, “Yeah, that’s the one.”
Without it? You blend in.
But with it? You stand out, get talked about, and, most importantly, you get remembered. It’s quite surprising to say that 15% of companies don’t have brand guidelines, a document which should outline all of the above in simple, clear terms. Without these guidelines, things can easily get mixed up.
Brawl’s breakdown.
With all of this being said, approach branding in a way that feels good for you. Branding isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ thing and analysing your target audience and current market position is a good place to start.
At Brawl, we believe branding is key, especially in this crazy market.
From experimenting with our own branding, to developing and executing full brand strategies for our clients, we take a catered approach to each business, bringing your vision to life.
Thinking about sprucing up your approach for some time? Get in touch; we can discover a new side to your business together.